Medicolegal characteristics of defense injuries in cases of homicides

Nemanja Rančić; Gordana Djurović; Filip Pilipović; Slobodan Savić

doi:10.2298/VSP150218186R

Nemanja Rančić Faculty of Medicine of the Military Medical Academy, University of Defence, Belgrade, Serbia
Gordana Djurović Health Care Services for Adults, Health Center, "Dr. Dimitrije Pitović", Kosjerić, Serbia
Filip Pilipović Institute of Orthopaedic Surgery “Banjica”, Belgrade, Serbia
Slobodan Savić Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP150218186R

Keywords: forensic medicine, homicide, defense mechanisms, serbia,

Abstract

Background/Aim. During the homicidal act, a victim usually tries to defend himself/herself, and due to these attempts he/she could sustain so-called defense injuries, mostly localized on the arms. The aim of this research was to analyze important medicolegal characteristics of defense injuries, particularly regarding their importance in forensic expertise of homicides. Methods. We analyzed autopsies of all homicidal cases with defense injuries in Belgrade during a three-year period.
Results. Defensive injuries were registered in 71 victims of murder. The majority (67.61%) of victims with defense injuries were males. About 25% of victims were aged from 21 to 30 years. The majority (60) of victims were not under influence of alcohol. Homicides were mostly (90.14%) performed by mechanical weapons. The highest frequency of defense injuries was noticed in the victims with multiple homicidal injuries localized on the front side of the body. In a half (50.7%) of the cases they were present on both arms of the victim, mostly on the dorsal side of hands and forearms. Bruises were the most frequent form of defense injuries (36.61% out of 71 cases), while incisions, abrasions, gunshot injuries and stab wounds were less common. Conclusion. Determination of defense injuries and their medicolegal characteristics enables collecting of facts that are important for legal estimation of homicide, as well as for adequate sentence at the end of the court procedure

References

Reddy KS. The essentials of forensic medicine and toxicology. 29th ed. Hyderabad: Medical Book Company; 2010.

Milovanović M. Forensic medicine. 2nd ed. Beograd, Zagreb: Medicinska knjiga; 1979. (Serbian)

Saukko P, Knight B. Knight's forensic pathology. 3rd ed. Lon-don: Hodder Arnold; 2004.

Popović V, Atanasijević T. Forensic medicine. Beograd: Libri Medicorum; 2010. (Serbian)

Brunel C, Fermanian C, Durigon M, Grandmaison GL. Homicidal and suicidal sharp force fatalities: Autopsy parameters in rela-tion to the manner of death. Forensic Sci Int 2010; 198(1−3): 150−4.

Bohnert M, Hüttemann H, Schmidt U. Homicides by sharp force. In: Tsokos M, editor. Forensic pathology reviews. Totowa: Humana Press; 2006. p. 65−89.

Dettmeyer RB, Verhoff MA, Schütz HF. Forensic medicine: fun-damentals and perspectives. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer; 2014.

Shkrum M, Ramsay D. Forensic pathology of trauma: common problems for the pathologist. Totowa: Humana Press; 2007.

Dettling A, Althaus L, Haffner HT. Criteria for homicide and suicide on victims of extended suicide due to sharp force in-jury. Forensic Sci Int 2003; 134(2−3): 142−6.

Spitz WU. Spitz and Fisher's medicolegal investigation of death. 4th ed. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publish-er; 2006.

Katkici U, Ozkök MS, Orsal M. An autopsy evaluation of de-fence wounds in 195 homicidal deaths due to stabbing. J Fo-rensic Sci Soc 1994; 34(4): 237−40.

Metter D, Benz D. Self-defense injuries in homicides caused by penetrating forces. Z Rechtsmed 1989; 102(5): 277−91.

Mohanty MK, Panigrahi MK, Mohanty S, Dash JK, Dash SK. Self-defense injuries in homicidal deaths. J Forensic Legal Med 2007; 14(4): 213−5.

Rancic N, Erceg M, Savic S. Medicolegal characteristics of fire-arm homicides. In: Abstract Book of 6th Annual Meeting of the Balkan Academy of Forensic Sciences; 2009 June 18−21; Kavala, Greece: PATH 112. (abstract) 2009.

Rancic N, Erceg M, Radojevic N, Savic S. Medicolegal characteris-tics of firearm homicides in Belgrade, Serbia: Before, during, and after the war in the Former Yugoslavia. J Forensic Sci 2013; 58(6): 1549−53.

Mohanty MK, Panigrahi MK, Mohanty S, Das SK. Victimiologic study of female homicide. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2004; 6(3): 151−6.

Karlsson T. Sharp force homicides in the Stockholm area, 1983-1992. Forensic Sci Int 1998; 94(1−2): 129−39.

Mohanty S, Mohanty SK, Patnaik KK. Homicide in southern In-dia: A five-year retrospective study. Forensic Med Anat Res 2013; 1(2): 18−24.

Hugar BS, Harish S, Girish Chandra YP, Praveen S, Jayanth SH. Study of defence injuries in homicidal deaths: an autopsy study. J Forensic Leg Med 2012; 19(4): 207−10.

Ambade VN, Godbole HV. Comparison of wound patterns in homicide by sharp and blunt force. Forensic Sci Int 2006; 156(2−3): 166−70.